Slide-a-room tent camper



May 7, 1968 e. E. LINK SLIDE'A'ROOM TENT CAMPER Filed May 9, 1966 INVENTOR.

ggaae M5606F 77/ 4//v/ United States Patent 3,381,994 SLIDE-A-ROOM TENT CAMPER George E. Link, Trenton, Ohio (3714 N. Cypress Drive, Kansas City, Mo. 64117) Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,491 8 Claims. (Cl. 296-23) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A camper trailer adapted to occupy a minimum of space during travel or storage, but to present relatively spacious facilities during camping, including a living room area and an elevated bedroom area, is constructed with nestable structures slidably mounted upon one another to permit quick and easy conversion from a travelling to a camping condition.

This invention relates generally to tent camper automotive vehicles.

It is generally well known to those skilled in the art, that tent campers are designed on the principle of a single room which must serve both as a bedroom and a living area. It is thus readily apparent that at certain times, these two uses of a single room will be in conflict with each other. This is especially strongly felt in view of the confining small total space. Thus, this situation has been in need of improvement.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved tent camper having selfcontained means for providing a plurality of separate rooms, one of which is an area for sleeping and another which is a dining and living area.

Another object is to provide a tent camper having a main body area which contains fold down benches for dining and use as a third bed, and it further contains work shelves and storage shelves that do not take up extra area within the camper.

Yet another object is to provide a tent camper having a novel sleeping area wherein a slidable bedroom is pulled back and out from the main body for setting up the camper and is then supported to the main body by a stop, a main support and ground supports.

Another object is to provide a tent camper wherein the sleeping area and the main body each have their own individual tents, and wherein both rooms are on different elevations.

Other objects are to provide a slide-a-room tent camper which is of simple design, inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in construction, easy to set up and efficient in operation.

These and other objects will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention shown set up to form two separate rooms;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view thereof in folded, traveling position;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tailgate assembly.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the numeral represents a slide-a-room camper according to the present invention, wherein there is a main body 11 mounted on a chassis supported on a pair of wheels 12.

The main body comprises a structure defining a living room 13 (shown in FIGURE 1) from which a slidable bedroom structure 14 is movable.

The living room 13 includes a floor 15, side walls 16, and a front end wall 17. Furniture, such as benches 19,

3,381,994 Patented! May 7, 1968 may be placed therein. A hinged door 20 is provided on one side wall 16 to allow access into the room. A work space shelf 21 is movable from a collapsed position to the operative position shown in FIGURE 1.

Above the living room structure, described above, the slidable bedroom structure is located when the tent camper is in collapsed position. Adequate sliding tracks may be provided to permit easy sliding thereof to the set-up position shown in FIGURE 1.

The bedroom structure 14 comprises a housing 23 having a floor 24, side Walls 25, and rear end wall 26. Upper bed 27 and a lower bed 28, are stored one over the other in the housing 23. Mechanical means are provided to allow each bed to slide sidewardly outward as shown in FIGURE 1.

In this position the beds are at slightly different elevations with the floor 24 therebetween. Thus, it is seen that the living room is at a lower level than the bedroom and accordingly a two or three step stairway 29 hinged to the bedroom, provides means to ascent from the living room into the bedroom.

A plurality of jacks 30 are securable under the ends of the camper to maintain the extended device in a secure position.

The camper includes a pair of tents 31 and 32 which are mounted over a collapsible framework 33, comprised of a frame and tent poles which are: normally carried in collapsed position within the space 34.

It is also to be noted that the tailgate 22 is pivotable from a closed position (see FIGURE 2) to an open position (see FIGURE 1), wherein it functions as an extension of the tracks to support the bedroom structure when it is in the extended position. This permits the bedroom to be extended to the end of the walls 16.

The framework includes vertical poles 35 and 36 having a horizontal pole 37 therebetween; vertical poles 38 and 39 with horizontal pole 40 therebetween; roof pitched poles 41 and 42, each of which is hingedly secured at one end to poles 38 and 39, and removably attached at their other ends to poles 35 and 36;; and a U-shaped frame 43.

In collapsed position the frame 43 is pulled down and lies horizontally over the benches in the living room.

In operative use the two tents are secured together by a slide fastener before erection of the poles.

The novel features and the operation of this device will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this is not to be considered limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes may be made therein within the scope and the spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a tent camper the combination of -a chassis mounted on a pair of wheels, and a pair of structures carried on said chassis, one of said structures being secured stationarily on said chassis and defining a living room, and the other being slid-ably secured on said living room structure and defining a bedroom, said living room structure including a floor, side Walls, a front end wall, a rear end Wall tail-gate opposite said front end wall, a collapsible stairway in said tail-gate and a doorway in one of said sidewalls to provide access into said living room, said stairway providing access between said living room and said bedroom.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bedroom structure comprises a rearwardly slidable housing normally stored over said living room structure, said housing comprising a floor, sidewalls, a rear wall and a pair of sidewardly outward slidable beds normally stored one over the other within said housing.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein said tent camper includes a pair of separate tents, one of which is for each said room structure, a collapsible framework, mountable over said room structures to support said tents, and said tents having slide fastener means for being secured together.

4. In a camper trailer:

a mobile chassis;

a first room-defining structure mounted on the chassis;

a second room-defining structure slidably mounted on the first structure for movement in a generally horizontal direction between a stowed position overlying the first structure and a camping position extending from an extremity of the first structure; and

at least one bed means slidably mounted on the second structure for movement in a generally horizontal direction between a stowed position overlying the second structure and a camping position extending from an extremity of the second structure.

5. In a camper trailer as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said structures includes a floor; the fioor of the second structure, when in its camping position, is disposed at a level above the floor of the first structure; and said one bed means, when in its camping position, is disposed at a level above the floor of the second structure.

6. In a camper trailer as set forth in claim 5, wherein t the chassis has a forward extremity adapted to be coupled to a pulling vehicle; the second structure, when in its camping position, extends rearwardly from the first structure; and said one bed means, when in its camping position, extends laterally from the second structure.

7. In a camper trailer as set forth in claim 6, wherein there are a pair of said bed means, having stowed p0- sitions one above the other, and movable generally horizontally in opposite directions laterally of the second structure into their camping positions, in which they are spaced from each other with the floor of the second structure therebetween and therebelow.

8. In a camper trailer as set forth in claim 7, wherein there is provided removable roof means, including separate frameworks removably mountable upon each of the structures respectively, and tent means removably mountable upon the frameworks.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,459,026 1/1949 Hardy 29623 FOREIGN PATENTS 81,064 5/1956 Denmark.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner.

PHILIP GOODMAN, Examiner. 

